Ejector mechanism for artillery guns



1953 w. H. AUSTIN, JR., EIAL 3,110,220

EJECTOR MECHANISM FOR ARTILLERY GUNS Filed Feb. 21, 1963 e Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. W'I11IEPH Au 5 H. 11. Ir. Willn-rd F. Frey Nov. 12, 1963 w. H. AUSTIN, JR.. ETAL 3,110,220

EJECTOR MECHANISM FOR ARTILLERY cums 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1965 INVENTOR. WDJl- E'l H--AT.TEIIH YWiIlnrcIF'. Fray B 7- 1 1 1963 w. H. AUSTIN, JR.. ETAL 3,110,220

EJECTOR MECHANISM FOR ARTILLERY GUNS Filed Feb. 21, 1963 Fig .21-

6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Wuller H.Aus1-'Ln Jr. Willurcl FL Frey 34 3 BY;

1963 w. H. AUSTIN, JR., ETAL 3,110,220

EJECTOR MECHANISM FOR ARTILLERY GUNS Filed Feb. 21, 1963 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. W111 L E1 H AT TE-"LIITLTI Mill-11rd F. Fr 2y WM? M-J J #M BM yam zamwiqk.

Nov. 12, 1963 w. H. AUSTIN, JR.. ETAL 3,110,220

EJECTOR MECHANISM FOR ARTILLERY cums Filed Feb. 21, 1963 s Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. WTL11EI- H. Ans Lin J1.

Will-In F. F1. ey

BY min WM 61 11 *aaqa: MHZ/l Nov. 12, 1963 w. H. AUSTIN, JR.. E'IAL 3,110,220

EJECTOR MECHANISM FOR ARTILLERY GUNS Filed Feb. 21, 1963 6 Sheets-sheet 6 INVENTOR. wlll hET H-.A.u51in3i*. Wi ll'umcf EFTEY BY W W United States Patent EEECTGR FOR ARTHJLERY Walter H. Austin, Era, Poestenlrill, and Willard F. Frey,

Selkirk, N.Y., assignors to the United States of Amerlea as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed 21, 1953, filer. No. 260,965 6 Claims. ("Cl- 89-21} (Granted under Title 35, ode (1952), see. 266} The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to artillery guns for firing shells having cases which must be ejected before reloading can be accomplished and pertains more particularly to ejector systems for such guns.

It is the object of this invention to provide for artillery guns of split-chamber type, which are adapted for firing a round having a metallic case, an ejector for automatically dispelling the tired case, which ejector is mounted to the outside of the gun so as not to change the basic internal design thereof and which utilizes the etraction and pivotal motion of the breech assembly for its operation.

It is also the object of this invention to provide such an ejector which is simple but rugged in design and positive in operation.

The specific nature of the invention as Well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the breech end of a splitcharnber gun showing the breech assembly in locked battery position with the view partially cross-sectioned to show a part of the internal structure of the gun;

FIG. 2 is an end View of the gun showing the breech assembly in the locked battery position;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view similar to H6. 1 but showing the breech assembly in its retracted position prior to roll-over to the open position and the cam follower seared in the locking section of the cam slot;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4 l of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side view similar to P168. 1 and 3 but showing the relationship of the arm relative to the case and the stud relative to the external surface of the coupling section during roll-over of the breech assembly to the open position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary end view showing the parts as related in FIG. 5;

PEG. 7 is a View similar to FIG. 5 but showing the breech assembly in the open position and the fired case partially ejected;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary end view showing as related in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 5 and 7 but showing the arm actuated clear of the fired case when the cam follower is at the rear end of the tail of the translational displacement of the breech section of the cam slot;

PEG. 10 is a fragmentary end View showing the parts as related in FIG. 9;

PEG. 11 is a perspective view of the rear end of the gun showing the breech assembly in the retracted open position and the fired case ejected from the tube; and

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the extractor.

Shown in the figures is an artillery gun 12 which is of split-chamber type and is adapt d for firing a cartridge 1.4 having a projectile (not shown) and a case is with an extractor groove 18 around the base thereof. Gun 12 includes a tube Ztl having a bore with a concentric front chamber-section 24 formed at the rear end thereof. A cylindrical coupling 26 is attached and locked to the rear of tube 20, thereby forming an integral unit.

the parts b llldy b Patented New. 12, 1963 A breech assembly 2% is mounted on coupling 26 and tube 2.5), as hereinafter described, for longitudinal displacement between a rearward retracted and a forward battery position for pivotal roll-over between an open and an in-line position (relative to the tube) around an axis disposed parallel to the axis of the tube. Breech assembly 28 includes a carrier 3% and a chamber member 32 mounted for rotation therein between a locked and an unlocked position. Carrier 3th is mounted on coupling 26 by means of a cylinder 34, which is attached to the carrier, and a cooperating hydraulic cylinder housing 38 which is attached to the coupling by a bracket 4%. Piston 35 i and cylinder housing 38 are positioned underneath coupling 26 and to the right of the central vertical plane thereof.

A front portion 4 2 of chamber member 32 is receivable by coupling section 2.6 when breech assembly 28 is in the battery position and a rear chamber section 44 extends rearwardly into the chamber member to receive the rear portion of case M and complete the chambering thereof when the breech assembly is in the battery position. Interrupted sectored threads 455 on the outside of front portion 42. and on the inside of coupling section 26 lock breech assembly 23 in the battery position when chamber member 32 is rotated in a clockwise direction to the locked position. A conventional operating mechanism (not shown) which is housed within cylinder 34 and cylinder housing 33 and is not a part of this invention provides for the sequential rotation of chamber member 32 to the unlocked position followed by translational displacement of breech assembly 28 to the retracted position and then the roll-over thereof in a counterclockwise direction to the open position, and the reversal of these steps, responsive to the application of hydraulic pressure into cylinder housing 38. Round la is loaded into tube 25 manually and, when fully positioned therein, the base of case 15 is approximately even with the rear end of coupling section 26. Fired case 1-5 is ejected automatically after roll-over of breech assembly 28 to the open position by an ejector it? mounted on carrier 3d and a cooperating latch 43 mounted on cylinder housing 33. Ejector 4 6 includes a housing 5% which is attached to carrier 3t? and is arranged to extend forwardly therefrom so that the front end is located slightly rearward of the rear end of coupling section 26 when breech assembly 28 is in the retracted position.

Extending through housing is a cylindrical hole 52 the axis of which is disposed parallel to the axis of tube 2% The rear end of hole 52 is closed by a threaded plug 54. Supported within hole 52 is a rod 56 which is terminated at the rear end by a head 58 the outside diameter of which is similar to the inside diameter of the hole so as to be slidable therein. Mounted on the front end of housing 5d is a tubular cam member 6b which slidingly receives the front portion of rod 56. Cain member as is provided with an annular flange 62 spaced from the rear end so as to form a stub portion 63 which is received by hole 5'2. and the flange has contact with the front end of housing Sb to correctly position the cam member longitudinally. A screw through housing 5t} and stub portion as secures 'cam member 6?: to the housing. A torsion-compression spring 66 is wound around rod 56 between head 53 and the end of stub portion 63 and is preloaded therebetween so as to bias the rod rearwardly relative to housing 513. The rear end of spring is anchored to head 58 by means of a channel 67 therein and the front end of the spring is anchored to housing 50 by means of a channel 6% in cam member 69. Spring 66 is coiled so as to be wound when rod 56 is rotated in a clockwise direction.

Provided in cam member as forwardly of flange 62 is a cam slot 68 which slidi-ngly receives a cam follower 7%) threadingly secured to red 56, whereby longitudinal displacement of the rod is converted to rotational displacement thereof according to the configuration of the cam slot as defined hereinafter. Fixed to the front end of rod 56 is an arm 72 which extends thereacross. One end of arm 72 is machined to form a blade 74 which is engage-able with extractor groove 38 of fired case 15 when the arm is swung to an engaged position. Fixed to the opposite end of arm '72, which will be referred to hereinafter as contact end 76, is a stud 77 which extends forwardly therefrom for camming contact with the outside surface of coupling section 26 to function as hereinafter described.

Cam slot 68 is formed to include a straight, longitudinally disposed dwell section '78 along which cam follower 7% moves during translational travel of breech assembly 28. Dwell section 78 leads forwardly into a locking section 39 which, as shown in PEG. 12, extends in a counterclockwise direction from the dwell section and which forms a wall 82 disposed at right angles to the adjacent side of the dwell section noted at 84-. Dwell section 73 leads rearwardly into a tail section 86 which extends angularly in a rearward and clockwise direction therefrom.

Latch 48 includes a mounting case 88 in which a plunger 9! is disposed for sliding vertical displacement between an extended latching position and a depressed unlatching position. A spring 92. biases plunger 96 to the latching position. Formed in the top portion of plunger 90, which extends above case 83, is a cam surface $4 which extends upwardly and forwardly to the top end of the plunger. Shaft 96 has a camming engagement with plunger 90 to provide manual depression of the plunger when a handle 98 fixed to the shaft is manually rotated.

Thus, when hydraulic pressure is applied to cylinder housing 38, after gun i2 is fired, chamber member 32. is rotated to the unlocked position, disengaging the threads 5, and breech assembly 23 starts its translational displacement from the battery to the retracted position. As breech assembly 28 moves rearwardly, contact end 76 contacts plunger 9%, whereby arm 72 is stopped while breech assembly 23 with housing 50 thereon continues rearwardly compressing spring .66. During the initial portion of the relative movement between housing 50 and rod 56, cam follower 76 moves along tail portion 86 rotating arm 72 so as to move blade 74 into close proximity to extractor groove 13, after the breech assembly is retracted sufficiently to provide a clearance for the blade. During continued retraction of breech assembly 23, cam follower 70 moves along dwell section 7 8 with the torque of spring 66 holding the cam follower pressed against side 84 of the dwell section while the spring at the same time is being compressed between head 58 and cam member 60.

When breech assembly 28 reaches its retracted position, cam follower 79 is positioned forwardly of side 84, whereby the torque of spring 56 snaps the cam follower into locking section 86. This rotary displacement of arm 72 causes contact end 76 to be moved out of contact with plunger 90 but rod 5 is held extended and spring 66 compressed, during the roll-over of breech assembly 28, by the searing contact of cam follower 70 with wall 82. During the final portion of the roll-over, stud 77 contacts the outside surface of coupling section 26. Stud 77 is so related to the outside of coupling 26 in its location and path of movement, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, that the contact therebetween cams contact end 76 downwardly and, thereby, blade 74 upwardly into full engagement with the extractor groove 18 of fired case is. At the same time, cam follower 7G is moved out of contact with wall 8?. and into dwell section 78 so that arm 72 is released and the energy in compressed spring 66 is applied to fired case 16 for ejection thereof from tube 21 Cam follower 70 moves rearwardly with arm 72, during eiection of fired case 16 and, during the final rearward displacement of the arm, the cam follower moves into tail section S6, whereby the arm is rotated to displace blade 74 from extractor groove 18 and clear of the case during continued ejection thereof from gun 12.

In the closing cycle of the gun operation, hydraulic pressure is applied to cylinder housing 33, after cartridge 14 is loaded to tube 20, and thereby breech assembly 28 proceeds through the roll-over sequence to the in-line position followed by forward travel to battery position and rotation of chamber member 32 to the locked position. As breech assembly 28 moves forwardly, contact end '76 contacts cam surface l on plunger 913 to cause downward displacement thereof for free forward displacement of arm 72 thereby.

If an operator should wish to open the breech of tube without ejecting cartridge 14 therefrom, handle 98 is rotated to depress plunger so that arm 72 will not be stopped thereby, to initiate the operating functions of ejector as when breech assembly 28 is displaced rear- Wardly to the retracted position. I

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended to include such variations.

1. An ejector and a cooperating latch for an artillery gun having a tube and a breech assembly mounted on the tube for translational displacement from a battery to a retracted position followed by pivotal movement from an in-line to an open position relative to the tube around an axis disposed parallel to the axis thereof to provide clearance for ejection of a fired case from the tube and the loading of a cartridge thereinto, the case bein provided with an annular extractor groove adjacent the base thereof and the gun being provided with a chamber section in the tube arranged to locate the base of the case approximately even with the rear end of the tube when loaded thereinto, the latch including a mounting case fixed on said tube, a plunger mounted in said mounting case for vertical displacement between a depressed and an extended position and a spring arranged for biasing said plunger to the extended position, the ejector comprising a housing secured to the breech assembly for displacement therewith, a rod slidingly mounted in said housing for longitudinal and rotary movement relative thereto and arranged to extend forwardly therefrom, an arm mounted across the front end of said rod, a blade formed on one end of said arm and arranged to be engageable with the extractor groove of the case in the tube, when rotated thereto, a contact end formed on the opposite end of said arm so as to be contactable with said plun er during displacement of said breechblock to the retracted position for holding said rod against translational displacement with said breechblock and so as to be out of contact with said plunger when said blade is in engagement with said extractor groove, a torsioncompression spring operationally disposed between said housing and said rod so as to be compressed during relative translational movement therebetween and so as to bias said arm rotationally in a direction to engage said blade with the extractor groove, means for displacing said arm to engage said blade with the extractor groove and release said contact end from said plunger when the breechblock reaches the retracted position during displacement from the battery position, sear means for releasably securing said rod in the extended position after said contact end is released from said plunger, and cam means for disengaging said rod from said sear means at the completion of the pivotal movement of said breechblocl: from the in-line to the closed position to release said arm for ejecting the fired case from the tube.

2. The ejector as defined in claim 1 wherein said ejector includes a tubular cam member mounted on the front end of said housing to slidingly receive said rod therethrough, a cam slot formed in said cam member, a cam follower fixed to said rod and arranged to be slidingly received by said cam slot, said cam slot being provided with a longitudinal dwell section having a side slidingly contacted by said cam follower by torsional bias of said spring during displacement of the breechblock from the battery to the retracted position, wherein said means for displacing said arm to engage said blade with the extractor groove includes the torsional bias of said spring and a lock section formed at one end of said dwell section so as to permit displacement of said cam follower by said spring when the breechblock is in the retracted position, and wherein said sear means includes a wall formed in said locked section so as to contactingly block translational displacement of said arm by said spring.

3. The ejector as defined in claim 2 and including a stud fixed on said contact end so as to cammingly contact the outside surface of the tube during rotation of 6 the breechbloclr to the open position for rotating said arm to displace said earn follower out of contact with said wall into said dwell section.

4. The ejector as defined in claim 2 and including means for displacing said blade clear of the extractor groove during ejection of the case from the tube.

5. The ejector as defined in claim 2 and including a tail section angularly generated in said cam slot for dis placing said blade free of the extractor groove when said cam follower travels along said cam slot during ejection of the case.

6. The latch as defined in claim 2 and including means for manually actuating said plunger to the depressed position to render the ejector inoperative.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,497,325 Charbonnier June 10, 1924 

1. AN EJECTOR AND A COOPERATING LATCH FOR AN ARTILLERY GUN HAVING A TUBE AND A BREECH ASSEMBLY MOUNTED ON THE TUBE FOR TRANSLATIONAL DISPLACEMENT FROM A BATTERY TO A RETRACTED POSITION FOLLOWED BY PIVOTAL MOVEMENT FROM AN IN-LINE TO AN OPEN POSITION RELATIVE TO THE TUBE AROUND AN AXIS DISPOSED PARALLEL TO THE AXIS THEREOF TO PROVIDE CLEARANCE FOR EJECTION OF A FIRED CASE FROM THE TUBE AND THE LOADING OF A CARTRIDGE THEREINTO, THE CASE BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ANNULAR EXTRACTOR GROOVE ADJACENT THE BASE THEREOF AND THE GUN BEING PROVIDED WITH A CHAMBER SECTION IN THE TUBE ARRANGED TO LOCATE THE BASE OF THE CASE APPROXIMATELY EVEN WITH THE REAR END OF THE TUBE WHEN LOADED THEREINTO, THE LATCH INCLUDING A MOUNTING CASE FIXED ON SAID TUBE, A PLUNGER MOUNTED IN SAID MOUNTING CASE FOR VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN A DEPRESSED AND AN EXTENDED POSITION AND A SPRING ARRANGED FOR BIASING SAID PLUNGER TO THE EXTENDED POSITION, THE EJECTOR COMPRISING A HOUSING SECURED TO THE BREECH ASSEMBLY FOR DISPLACEMENT THEREWITH, A ROD SLIDINGLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING FOR LONGITUDINAL AND ROTARY MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO AND ARRANGED TO EXTEND FORWARDLY THEREFROM, AN ARM MOUNTED ACROSS THE FRONT END OF SAID ROD, A BLADE FORMED ON ONE END OF SAID ARM AND ARRANGED TO BE ENGAGEABLE WITH THE EXTRACTOR GROOVE OF THE CASE IN THE TUBE, WHEN ROTATED THERETO, A CONTACT END FORMED ON THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID ARM SO AS TO BE CONTACTABLE WITH SAID PLUNGER DURING DISPLACEMENT OF SAID BREECHBLOCK TO 